The present disclosure relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Gaillardia plant, also known as a blanket flower, a herbaceous perennial that is grown for use as an ornamental landscape and container plant. The new variety is known botanically as Gaillardia×grandiflora and will be referred to hereinafter by the variety name ‘Sunset Flash’. Gaillardia is in the family Compositae, under which the commonly referred to “flower” is actually the inflorescence, and made up of smaller ray florets and disc florets. The ray florets themselves have the appearance of “petals”.
‘Sunset Flash’ originated and was selected from a large population of hybrid seedlings from a Gaillardia breeding program which was started in 2006. The breeding program was conducted in a greenhouse nursery in West Sussex, United Kingdom. The aims of the breeding program were to produce novel combinations of flower colors and flower forms which are borne on well-branched plants with sturdy growth habits. The inventors carried out a controlled hybridization was carried out using combinations of selected named varieties and selected unnamed and unreleased seedlings retained from previous breeding cycles.
‘Sunset Flash’ was selected in 2009 for its vibrant orange-red colored flat ray florets with yellow tips which are produced from spring until fall and which do not fade with age. ‘Sunset Flash’ was also selected for its compact and naturally branching habit and high bud count.
The hybridization which led to the selection of ‘Sunset Flash’ was carried out during 2008 using a proprietary unreleased seedling raised by the inventors and known as ‘G722-1’ (unpatented) as the male parent and a proprietary unreleased seedling raised by the inventors and known as ‘G716-1’ (unpatented) as the female parent.
‘Sunset Flash’ was first asexually propagated in October 2009 in a greenhouse at the inventors nursery in West Sussex, United Kingdom using shoot cuttings taken from lateral branches. ‘Sunset Flash’ is stable and reproduces true to type in successive generations of asexual reproduction.